MILTON, Del. - CoastTV spoke with House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown and House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris Monday evening, when they announced that Rep. Stell Parker Selby was officially sworn into office Monday afternoon.
The Democratic leaders shared the news at the Sussex County Democratic Committee meeting that was held in Georgetown on Monday at 6 p.m.
CoastTV was asked not to record inside of the meeting, but met with the leaders outside. CoastTV first asked how Parker Selby is doing.
"She's doing very well. She was actually sworn in to office today; she took her oath of office today, we're so excited. We're looking forward to seeing her back in the hall very soon," said House Speaker Minor-Brown.
When asked about Parker Selby's medical event, House Speaker Minor-Brown declined to comment, saying she "will never answer a question about somebody's protected health information."
Now that the 20th District's elected official has been formally sworn in, there is the hope that Parker Selby will be walking the halls with her colleagues soon.
"We're waiting for the full clearance from her doctor, but she is recovering and has been recovering the whole time," said House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris.
While Parker Selby's colleagues were aware that she was recovering from a medical event, the House Majority Leader feels the care for Parker Selby's health shifted to a care for politics.
"Within our chamber, we have a culture of understanding each other's humanity within our chamber, regardless of the party. We want to maintain that culture going forward. It's unfortunate that the [Republican] party itself did not also honor the culture that we honor within our chamber," said the House Majority Leader.
Parker Selby's swearing in took place one week after State GOP Chair Julianne Murray and Sussex County Republican Chair Daniel Willis sent a letter Monday to House leaders expressing concern about the District not having representation.
It is not clear if Parker Selby took her oath of office in Dover.
“Accountability and transparency matter in public service, but so do compassion and empathy. As we have demonstrated for all members in our chamber, regardless of party, elected officials are people first, and they deserve grace and understanding, especially when facing personal medical challenges,” said Minor-Brown in the statement.
Parker Selby was re-elected in November to service District 20. The district consists of Milton, parts of Lewes, Harbeson and Georgetown, serving 23,201 registered voters.
Parker Selby sent in a letter in January saying she would not be present for the month following a medical event that to date has not been elaborated on or confirmed by additional sources.
